act ii.

Adeline Rudolph as JORDANA LAID | 1.03 "Sex Cluster"

Miles Teller as Levi in the trailer for The Gorge, 2025

michael chuckled, his gaze dropping briefly to her hand on her hip before meeting her eyes with a sly grin. "control my thoughts? oh, i’ve got plenty of control, bonnie. it’s you who seems to be struggling—you’re practically begging me to admit you’re irresistible," which she is but he would leave that part out. he leaned in slightly, his voice lowering to a teasing drawl. "but hey, if fishing for validation is your thing, who am i to ruin your fun? consider me... entertained."

the way his eyes track says otherwise, but the sarcasm at the tip of her tongue won't allow her to fold. it never does. "oh, is this how you get paid? using some gaslighting mind tricks on your patients to get them to reschedule visit after visit?" because for a fleeting second, she was close to confirming his observation, but like he says, the banter is too fun for her to just give in. she's compelled to match his lean with an arched brow. "next time i'll come around here with a jogging suit on like i just finished a rocky balboa workout. y'know, just to prove you wrong."

" nothing! " her tone a decibel higher. she doesn't take him as a complete idiot. she's fairly certain that he would eventually catch on the things she has been doing. in his failed attempts for a relationship, she has been the common denominator. "i talked to her once just to see what she likes and relay that message to you. i think we're doing this wrong. you know, girls find guys more attractive if they're in a relationship. it makes them more...desirable. why don't we switch strategies?"

yea, the way her voice raises wasn't suspicious, at all. he counters by turtling his neck back, mock confusion drawing up his forehead. "uh huh. i bet you did." he's not convinced. not in the slightest. he's aware of how his failures seem to trail back to rose and there's an inkling of him that can assume why, but he's never fully indulged in it until the moment she brings up switching strategies. like a game — better yet, her game. he steps closer, eyeing her over. "what are you trying to say, rose? we form a fake relationship together? get me whoever i want just like that?"

Not only the familiar voice, but also the way he answered felt like home. It was as if Beau was wrapped in a cozy, warm blanket that protected him from the cold of reality. Beau shook his head slightly, a hint of a grin on his lips, followed by a slight snort. He had always appreciated Erik's jokes back then. After all, they hadn't been living in the easiest of times. "I remember it very well." How could he forget? Whenever Erik had been in pain, a part of Beau had also gone through the same. He sighed again and raised his hand. "I had almost given up hope of ever seeing you again." As Beau leaned his cheek against the other vampire's cold hand, his fingers gently touched the back of Erik's hand. "You suddenly disappeared. I went looking for you. What happened?"

a smile brims, one erik doesn't realize how wide it's grown, but he feels satisfied in knowing after all this time he still knows how to make beau laugh. his dramatics always had a habit of doing that, even when he was being sorely serious. "i don't think about much, beau, but i do regret leaving without a trace. i think i always will." scorned by what used to be his own reflection, if he had gone against what he thought was true to the other man no longer being alive, these years apart wouldn't have existed. guilt etches into his furrowed brows, smoothing his hand down from beau's cheek, to his elbow, not allowing their proximity to stretch. "i didn't like what i became. a swindler, a killer. always forced to take in order to survive. i couldn't stand myself, and if i thought that, i couldn't bear the thought of you looking at me the same." honesty becomes him. "i was scared."

jensen  hardly  had  a  serious  bone  in  his  body.  only  when  it  came  to  making  sure  his  deals  were  equal  on  both  sides  or  for  when  his  boxer  is  trained  properly.  "  f  -  y  -  i,  i  save  those  for  crossword  puzzles.  the  hints  are  sneaky  as  hell.  "  he  complained  in  the  note  of  humor.  "  yeah  i  can  do  that  for  you.  will  that  be  cash  or  card?  "  jensen  inquired  while  he  waled  to  the  other  end  of  the  counter  to  reach  the  screen  on  his  computer.  setting  the  format  of  the  sale,  he  gave  her  a  short  glance  before  clearing  his  throat,  "  so  kay?  is  that  a  favorite  of  yours?  "

it dawns somewhat as a relief that he accepted her wager. getting rid of that bracelet was considerably the last attachment to a soured phase in her life. "you ever think about turning to google? they say if you don't cheat then you aren't trying." take it from someone who uses it when she gets stuck on a daily wordle. yesenia offers an amused grin, "i'll take the cash." eyes aimlessly wander around the shop as he starts punching numbers, a creature to her own habits. always looking for something to buy. a scoff emits. "uh, no, actually. my ex-husband thought it was though. next thing you know, the jewelry turns into bribery and i'm left with a fortune to pawn off." she uses fortune loosely, for the sake of not opening that can of worms any further. "i prefer a medium ribeye paired with merlot most days."

relief seeps like a psionic wave; ren can feel talia's where her fingertips rested, but what she witnesses is a woman who's been left to suffer the consequences of the unknown, and frankly, deal with ren's bullshit. "yea, i know." a bitter bite to her clenched jaw. "but i don't think i ever gave you an out, talia. if you don't want ... this anymore —" because she can't compel herself to say me or us, "i understand."

thing is, santo doesn't know. jaw-taut, his silence is almost tangible. he could say something to attempt to alleviate jamie's worries, make it seem like a good thing, or anything a little more fated, but he still considers himself new to this; being a lackey for an entity whose sympathy, he would bet, is nonexistent. "would you rather not be here, then?" he lowers to his level, legs crossed, elbows propped atop his knees as he rests his chin over curled knuckles. "the way i see it, you got a second chance to... hell if i know, help others? just when you think you're alone, you're not." it's a mere wager. "i mean, we somehow found each other, right?"

STELLA KIDD 6.07 | CHICAGO FIRE

appreciation for this outfit <3

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, S7E4 — I Carry Your Heart With Me

˗ˏˋ THEO JAMES as Cameron Sullivan in The White Lotus (2022) ˎˊ˗

GRETA ONIEOGOU via TikTok